Position recognition systems are used to determine the position of and track a particular object in 3-dimensions (3D). In robot assisted surgeries, for example, certain objects, such as surgical instruments, need to be tracked with a high degree of precision as the instrument is being positioned and moved by a robot or by a physician, for example.
Infrared signal based position recognition systems may use a camera in conjunction with passive and/or active sensors or markers for tracking the objects. In passive sensors or markers, objects to be tracked may include passive sensors, such as reflective spherical balls, which are positioned at strategic locations on the object to be tracked. Infrared transmitters transmit a signal, and the reflective spherical balls reflect the signal to aid in determining the position of the object in 3D. In active sensors or markers, the objects to be tracked include active infrared transmitters, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), and thus generate their own infrared signals for 3D detection.
With either active or passive tracking sensors, the system then geometrically resolves the 3-dimensional position of the active and/or passive sensors based on information from or with respect to one or more of the infrared cameras, digital signals, known locations of the active or passive sensors, distance, the time it took to receive the responsive signals, other known variables, or a combination thereof.
Such robot surgical systems are advantageously used with a dedicated camera system. One disadvantage with the dedicated camera system is that by necessity, the camera should be separate from the robot surgical system in order to give the camera an optimal viewing angle of the surgical procedure. Physical separation is typically achieved by using a separate, independent camera stand, thus allowing flexibility for camera positioning. This requires a considerable amount of space in a relatively crowded area, e.g., an operating theater. Separating the camera stand from the main system or surgical robot can result in logistic challenges, such as storing an additional piece of capital equipment in the hospital, where space is at a premium. Another challenge is transporting an additional piece of capital equipment between procedure rooms, e.g., operating theaters or other locations in which the surgical robot is employed. The ability to reduce the amount of space required for the camera system would be helpful in managing the limited amount of space in an operating theatre